Into The Eyes Of Madness
by SpiritMuse
Summary: There's a new girl at The Agency, and she's not having a great first day... *awardwinning fic* :)
1. Into The Eyes...

Title: Into The Eyes Of Madness  
Author: Darien's Muse  
Rating: R  
Summary: The new girl at The Agency has a great first day.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Darien, or any other I-Man character. The only one I own is Madeline.  
Author's Note: While revamping my other QSM exploration, I was attacked by this red-eyed little baby plot bunny. It has since mutated into a full-grown plot bunny. And yeah, the girl looks like me, I admit it. And she does share some personality traits with me, most notably her not being impressed by Darien's good looks. *g*   
  
  
  
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Into The Eyes Of Madness  
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She was afraid. Darien could feel it, even without looking at her. She was trying to hide her fear, but he knew it was there. Not that he could blame her. Hell, even he was afraid. Afraid of what he'd undoubtedly do to her if they ran out of time. He silently checked his wrist. Down to one green. That checked with his headache; he was already feeling the all too familiar buzz of the madness. He smiled at her, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. But she wasn't stupid. She had seen the tattoo, and she knew as well as he did that it wasn't likely that anyone would get to them in time.  
  
---  
"Dammit!" cursed Hobbes at his latest failed attempt to open the door. He'd been stuck in the Keep with Claire for more than two hours now. The power was down, and the stupid thing was, whenever that happened, all the doors in The Agency closed shut. Locked. And stayed that way. Hobbes was gonna kill the genius who had thought of that.   
  
He had to get to Fawkes, fast. He hadn't gotten his shot yet, and could go wacko at any minute. And that girl Madeline was still with him. They were trapped together, down there in that stupid archive basement. Fawkes had insisted on showing her the way before coming to the Keep, even though he must have known he really needed that shot. "Will only take a minute, Hobbesy," he'd said, "No worries!" No worries. Yeah right.  
  
---  
'Help.' That's what went through her head over and over again. 'Help! Somebody save me...' She knew he wasn't dangerous, not yet. But she couldn't get it out of her mind. He would go insane eventually, and then there would be no telling what he'd do. Try to seduce her, rape her, kill her... She'd read the files, she knew what he'd be capable of. For the moment, however, he was okay. He was looking at her with those deep brown eyes of his. Puppy dog eyes, they were. A look designed to break down even the thickest walls a woman can build around herself...   
  
'He is cute, though,' she thought, and her face turned red when he looked at her, smiling, as if he knew what she was thinking. 'Oh hell, what am I thinking? Get a grip on yourself, girl!'  
  
She had been expecting a lot of things when she came in the door that morning, but this was definitely not one of them. Things like this weren't supposed to happen on your first day at work! She was only a lab tech. Okay, so she was a little overqualified for the job, but she just couldn't let this opportunity pass her by. She had worked on a few government projects, but this was by far the most interesting one she had ever seen. Seen... He just kept looking at her. It was starting to creep her out a little. She looked away, a little uncomfortable, knowing he'd turn into a maniac soon.  
  
---  
"Claire, you got that counteragent ready, right?" Hobbes asked for what seemed to Claire the millionth time.  
  
"Yes, Bobby, it's still right here, in the fridge, just like the last time you asked," said Claire, a little exasperated. She knew Bobby was worried about Darien, and he wasn't the only one. But he wasn't able to distance himself from his emotions quite like she could, at least not where Darien was concerned, and it was starting to get on her nerves.   
  
She didn't seem to care. That was what irked him most of all. He knew she cared, but she had adopted this cold attitude that just annoyed the hell out of him. His mind raced a mile a minute, thinking of all the things that could go wrong.   
  
---  
"Ahh!" Darien cried out as the first of the spikes hit his skull, hands flying to the back of his head as its white-hot pain numbed his brain. Madeline froze, then scrambled away as she panicked, thoughts racing, clearly laying out every possible scenario in her mind, all of them bad. Leaning against the far wall, she silently watched as the pain let go of Darien's body and he lay on the floor, exhausted. Slowly he looked up at her, the expression on his face made it clear that he wasn't going to give up so easily. But Madeline was still afraid.  
  
As another of the painful spikes hit Darien, driving its long nails into the back of his head, her doctor side finally kicked in, and she rushed over and kneeled down beside his writhing form. Knowing there really wasn't much she could do, she settled for rubbing his arms and his shoulders, and it seemed to relax him a little. But she knew she had to be on her guard because no matter how strong his resolve might be, there would inevitably come that time when he would have no choice but to give up.  
  
As Darien was once again released from the convulsions that the onset of the madness always brought, he got up and looked at her. His eyes were bloodshot, the madness already starting to take hold. Madeline's breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight. It scared her more than she had thought. She realized then that there was a big difference between reading about it and actually seeing it. She slowly backed away from him until she bumped into the far wall. She remained there, staying as quiet as possible, but continually staring into his eyes, mesmerized by the tiny threads of red crawling over his eyes like a spider web.  
  
Darien checked his tattoo again. It was still one green. But it wouldn't be long now before it would be all red. He knew his eyes were already getting there; he'd seen the girl's reaction. Yes, the girl... He turned his eyes back to her. She was pretty. She had an oval shaped face, a classic kind of beauty. Her eyes were gray, but they seemed to have a different hue every time he looked at them. Blue, green, hazel... as if it depended on her mood. Her hair was brown and she wore it at shoulder length. Now that he thought about it, it was actually the exact same shade of brown as his. And her lips were just perfect. She looked so cute with her lips pink like that... He mentally shook himself. What the hell was he thinking? He closed his eyes, not allowing his thoughts to go that way, not while he could help it. Then it was made easier for him as his thoughts were blacked out by pain.  
  
Madeline watched in horror as Darien's mind and body were once again wracked with pain. The madness, it was really starting! She was more frightened than she had ever been before, and yet she felt a nearly overwhelming need to help him. But both feelings were equally strong, leaving her confused, unable to act upon either. When Darien relaxed again, an idea popped into her head.  
  
"Er... Mr. Fawkes...?" she began. Darien looked up. He didn't really like being called mister, and he'd told her that. They'd been over it a million times, yet she kept insisting. Oh well.  
  
"Yeah?" he replied.  
  
"D-do you think, uh..." not knowing what to say, she vaguely motioned towards the archive boxes.  
  
"What?" he asked, not understanding.  
  
"Well, er, the-the-the archive boxes all have rope around them..." she managed to stutter.  
  
Darien caught onto her idea. "You want to tie me up?"  
  
"Well, yes," she said.  
  
'Kinky...' went through his mind, and he mentally slapped himself. He had a deal with himself not to think those things. Instead, he got up and started to work on getting the ropes off the boxes. It was as good an idea as any.  
  
They collected a couple of good, strong looking pieces of rope, and Madeline moved into position behind Darien to tie his hands. Just then, he was attacked by another one of the spikes. His legs gave out, but Madeline caught him. And she discovered it felt nice to hold him. Nice, but no more. He might have good looks, a charming smile, a witty sense of humor, not to mention a considerable amount of height, but all of that didn't really impress her. She liked him, and she knew they would be friends, but no more.  
  
It felt nice to be held, but Darien pushed himself to his feet. Madeline followed. He held his hands behind him again, and she began to tie the rope around them. He felt that she was being way too careful, as if she was afraid of hurting him.  
  
"Tighter," he ordered.  
  
"B-but Mr. Fawkes..."  
  
"No buts, just get those damn ropes tied already!" He was shouting now, his temper growing short due to the fierce battle with the madness that threatened to engulf him.  
  
Startled by his sudden outburst, Madeline stiffened in fear and fumbled with the ropes, nearly dropping them off his hands. Darien realized that he had sounded harsher than he meant to be and he squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating for a moment and willing himself to calm down. He succeeded in pushing the madness back to where it belonged, the far corner of his mind. For now.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Madeline nodded in return before realizing Darien couldn't see that since he was facing away from her.  
  
"It's okay," she whispered in his ear, laying her hands gently on his shoulders after finishing with the rope. For a second, she closed her eyes and let her chin rest on his shoulder. She was nearly as tall as he was. It was refreshing, for both of them. It occurred to Darien that if she wore high heels, she would actually be taller than him. He smiled slightly. A chick who was taller than him. Who would believe it?  
  
There was more rope, so there was more work to do. Darien sat down to allow Madeline to tie up his legs as well. He didn't have to remind her to tie them tight this time and he grimaced as she pulled hard on the ropes. She was a quick learner. She tied the long ropes around his ankles and all the way up to his knees. No way she was letting him get out of this one.  
  
Madeline thought she must be going crazy too. Here she was, trapped together with a man who could go insane at any moment -- a possibly life-threatening situation. And yet she found herself quickly growing fond of him, despite the fear that still inhabited the back of her mind. It was the eyes, she decided. Those big brown puppy dog eyes. She wondered how many women had found themselves drowning when they looked into those eyes.   
  
Finished with the ropes, she looked up at him -- and in his eyes. She winced at the redness in them. It was getting worse, but the expression on his face told her he was still in control. She raised her hand and gingerly she ran it through his upswept hair. She liked his hair. It was rebellious, like the rest of him. She liked rebellious. Darien liked the feeling of hands in his hair and smiled. She gazed into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity.  
  
---  
To say that Hobbes was worried would be the understatement of the century. To say that he was nearly going out of his mind with anxiety and worry about the millions of things that could go wrong with Fawkes and the girl locked up together down there in that basement would be closer to the truth.  
  
He had been feeling so good this morning that he hadn't thought it necessary to take his meds, a decision he now regretted with all his heart. His paranoia now forced him to think of all the things that could go wrong, making him play out countless scenarios in his mind. And his tendency towards depression made sure that there was not one good outcome among them.   
  
He was sure Fawkes would end up hurting the girl, one way or another. Maybe even killing her. And he knew Fawkes would beat himself up over it afterwards because he always felt guilty about what he did when he was insane, no matter how many times they told him it wasn't his fault. He knew his partner. And that was what worried him even more.  
  
He got up, unable to sit still, and started pacing back and forth through the lab. He knew it would probably irritate the hell out of Claire, but at this point he could care less. He had to concentrate on something other than Fawkes, and he hoped walking around would do the trick. He started counting his paces. One, two, three, four, five, stop. Turn. One, two, three, four, five, stop. Turn. One, two, three, four, five, stop. Turn.  
  
Claire lay back in her chair and closed her eyes. She was lying in the chair that was usually reserved for Darien when he needed his shot and she was feeling slightly guilty about it, especially since he needed it so badly now. But it was more comfortable than any of the other chairs in her lab and she needed a little comfort right now. She was getting a headache. And the squeaking of Hobbes' shoes wasn't exactly helping her relax. Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, pause. Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, pause. Squeak, squeak...  
  
"Would you please stop that?" she asked in an annoyed tone of voice.  
  
Squeak, squeak, pause, Hobbes' voice: "Stop what?" Pause, squeak, squeak...  
  
"That noise! You're giving me a headache!" Claire's patience was running short.  
  
Squeak, squeak, silence...  
  
Claire relaxed.  
  
"Who do you think you are, giving me orders like that?" said Hobbes loudly in the silence, startling Claire. "I'm not just some mook you can just order around whenever you want to!"  
  
"It's my lab and as long as you are here you will do as I say!" Claire was getting angry now.  
  
"Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that, Miss High-and-Mighty!" Hobbes started for the door.   
  
Claire got up and stepped towards him.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?"  
  
Hobbes turned.  
  
"I'm gettin' outta here!"  
  
"Yeah, well, in case you've forgotten, we are locked in!"  
  
"Well then I'll just break down the door!"  
  
"Hah! You and what army?"  
  
"Ah, you think Bobby Hobbes can't handle a silly little door?"  
  
"That 'silly little door' is two inch thick armor plating! You couldn't even shoot through that door, much less kick it in!"  
  
"What, are you implying now that I can't shoot a door?"  
  
Claire and Hobbes stood face to face, glaring and shooting daggers into each other's eyes.  
  
---  
Somewhere along the way, Darien's smile had gone from adorable and friendly to dangerous and insane. Startled by that realization, Madeline scrambled away, her fear renewed. The madness was here, and there was no way out. She sat against the far wall, breathing unsteadily as fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins. She couldn't help but stare into Darien's blood red-eyes as they followed her every move, hungrily taking in every detail of her body.   
  
Darien licked his lips as lust finally was allowed to enter his mind -- and his eyes. Madeline couldn't suppress a shudder, but she managed to close her eyes in an attempt to escape Darien's stare. It didn't help much. She could still feel it. She could feel him looking at her, undressing her with his eyes. Lab coat, blouse, bra... She pulled the white coat tightly around her, hoping to protect herself from those eyes.  
  
She could hear Darien moving around, grunting as he tried to break free of his bonds, yelling at her to untie him. But she was too frightened to move and she pulled her knees up even further, curling up into a little ball as more and more horrible scenarios kept unfolding in her mind.  
  
  
To Be Continued... 


	2. ...Of Madness

Hehe, thanks for the reviews. Yes, I did finish the fic before I posted it here, I just wanted to be evil and not tell you the conclusion just yet. *g* And thanks, Carol. I had so much fun! Okay, now what you've all been waiting for: the second and concluding part of this story. Disclaimers in part 1.  
  
  
---  
Claire lay back and closed her eyes. She was sitting in "Darien's" lab chair again, it was the most comfortable place in the lab, and right now she needed all the comfort she could get. The fight she had with Bobby had ended in a stalemate with him on one side of the lab and her on the other, neither willing to give in. And it had done wonders for her headache, it was at least ten times worse now. Every heartbeat sent a painful flare through her brain. For a second her scientist side wondered if this could be compared to Darien's pain when he went into quicksilver madness. Then she concluded she needed some heavy-duty painkillers. Unfortunately, they were on Bobby's side of the lab.  
  
Hobbes sat on a lab chair with his arms crossed, facing away from Claire. He was angry. Angry with her for treating him like he was just some stupid mook. Angry with himself for being angry with Claire. He didn't want to be angry with her, but he couldn't help it. He was barely keeping calm right now. It was all he could do not to rush over and hit that smug little face of hers. But if she even made a sound, there was no telling what he would do.  
  
Of course there was also the never-ending worry, continuously nagging at the back of his mind. Worry about Fawkes and the girl. If he knew anything about the timing of the shots, Fawkes should be in full-blown madness right about now. There was no telling what he might do to the girl. And knowing Fawkes, he would take the blame for everything and beat himself up over it over and over again.  
  
Hobbes stood and slammed his fist into the lab table in front of him, making everything on it jump, and Claire too. She couldn't help but moan as the shock sent a bright white flare of pain through her skull. Hobbes turned.  
  
  
---  
Darien had been quiet for a while now, not making any sound, and Madeline started to get suspicious. Carefully, she opened one eye and cast a glance in his direction. Darien's eyes were closed. It looked like he had passed out. She waited a few minutes, keeping her eyes on Darien, to make sure he was out cold. He didn't move a muscle -- he was barely even breathing. Her doctor side started worrying, he was so still, there might be something wrong. After a short debate, it won over her fear and she slowly crept over to him.  
  
She crouched over him, studying his face, his unmoving form, and she reached for his neck to feel his pulse. Suddenly, Darien's hand had her arm in a death grip, and Madeline found herself up close and personal with a mocking grin. She was staring straight into a pair of eyes, bright red like windows into Hell.  
  
Quickly Darien quicksilvered his legs, freezing and easily breaking the ropes around them. The sound of shattering ice crystals pierced the silence and Madeline managed to glance over to Darien's legs. When she saw the shards of frozen rope, she realized that he must have freed his hands the same way, and she mentally kicked herself for not realizing that earlier. She also realized that his earlier antics had merely been a ploy to hide the sound the breaking ropes would make and to make her think he was helpless and securely tied, lulling her into a false sense of security. Then, a final, horrifying realization hit her. Darien wasn't just a raving lunatic. He was a smart raving lunatic.  
  
He was far stronger than she was, so she had no way of escaping, and he knew it. She was completely at his mercy. She prepared herself to face the worst scenario she could think of. And then Darien released her.   
  
Madeline was confused. She looked into his eyes and found nothing but madness there. Madness and Hell. No indication that he had regained any control at all, and yet he had released her. Why would he do that? It made no sense to her. She slowly made her way back to the far wall, where she had been sitting before, her breath fast and sharp, her eyes ever glued to Darien's. Her gray to his red. Shivers ran up and down her spine, she didn't bother to even try and hide them. She couldn't if she wanted to. Darien, on the other hand, was completely relaxed, and sat up as he continued to stare at the frightened girl.  
  
  
---  
He stood over her, his hands clenched into fists that were hanging straight down the side of his body. Some part of his mind wanted to kill her, right there and then. But the rest of his mind didn't, and fought the impulse with all its might.  
  
Claire looked up at Bobby. His brown eyes, usually soft and warm when they looked at her, were now full of unspeakable anger and something else, something she had never seen in them before. It looked so familiar and yet so alien in those eyes. She couldn't quite pinpoint it -- her headache wasn't exactly helping her to think clearly.   
  
Suddenly she felt his hands around her throat. Not choking, just laying there, relaxed. Becoming a little scared, she looked into his eyes again. And with a shock she realized what she saw in them. It was madness. Very small, and barely noticeable, but it was there. She'd seen it in Darien's eyes more times than she could count, but not once in Bobby's. She instantly regretted her fight with him earlier.  
  
  
---  
He stood over her, his tall frame looming over her small huddled form. Some part of his mind wanted to kill her, right there and then. But he decided against it, instead locking her in his eyes, taking in every detail of the situation. Darien: strong, vicious, in control, the hunter. Madeline: paralyzed, afraid, powerless, his prey.  
  
Darien crouched down, slowly leveling his eyes with hers and for a short moment he let them wander over the rest of her face, her beautifully frightened face. Madeline was grateful for the momentary release from the tension his eyes created, but she wasn't out of the woods yet. He let his eyes rest on her lips for a moment before returning them to her eyes, imprisoning her once again in his hypnotizing gaze. He leaned in closer, touching her forehead with his, and he could feel the warm puffs of her frightened breath on his lips.   
  
His eyes were all she could see now, so close, so close... The all-encompassing redness slowly pulled Madeline into the hellish depths that lurked beneath. Then he moved and she felt his lips on hers -- warm and deceptively tender. Her heart fluttered and she became confused. How could she enjoy this? She was in no way attracted to this man... She parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slowly slip into the warm softness of her mouth. Gingerly, she touched it with hers, playing around with it. Darien let out a low moan of twisted pleasure.  
  
At that sound Madeline opened her eyes, and instantly realized what was going on. It infuriated her, despite her fear. She clamped her teeth shut, biting Darien's tongue as hard as she dared. He yelped in pain and pulled back, surprised by her sudden viciousness. She saw his expression, and a small but wicked grin appeared on her face. Soon, though, Darien had one of his own to match, and her little moment of triumph was over. But her anger lingered, taking the edge off her fear.  
  
He leaned in closer again. He could see the anger flaming in her eyes. Two small fires. It excited him. He was going to enjoy putting them out... He brought his hand up to her face, touching it, then moved and ran it through her hair, slowly, ending up back at her face, cupping it with his hand. Then he grabbed hold of her hair, moving in for another kiss.   
  
Again she surprised him, lashing out with her hand. He let go, and leaned back slightly, bringing his right hand to his left cheek. When he pulled it back, there was blood on it. She scratched him with her nails, and drew blood! Feisty little girl. He smiled, and nodded in approval as he slowly licked the blood off his fingers. He turned his eyes back to Madeline's, and Madeline's eyes grew wide in fear as she realized that in his insanity, nothing she could do would convince him to stop.  
  
  
---  
Claire felt the grip of Bobby's hands around her neck slowly becoming tighter. And she realized he was losing his battle. She could see it in his eyes, as well. She saw him fighting for his sanity, just like she'd seen Darien do so often. But unlike Darien, Bobby actually stood a chance of winning the fight. She gently placed her arms on his wrists and looked at him with all the calmness she could muster.  
  
"Bobby, don't do this. Please."  
  
Hobbes just glared at her. How dare she command him that way! But of course she was right too. He didn't really want to do this. Or did he?  
  
"Bobby, please, don't. Don't let this win."  
  
Claire wasn't sure she was getting through to him.  
  
  
---  
Darien roughly grabbed Madeline by the shoulders and hoisted her up to a standing position. He pulled her hands up over her head, holding them there with his left hand. He knew it would make her feel vulnerable. With his other hand, he gently caressed her hair, her face, ending with one finger on her lips as if in a gesture of silence.  
  
Madeline wanted to close her eyes, she wanted to escape from what Darien was going to do to her, but she couldn't. His eyes held her prisoner. She struggled, trying to pull her hands free, but Darien was too strong. He stole another kiss roughly, not bothering to be careful this time. He closed his eyes while he kissed, releasing Madeline for a moment, and when he pulled back she noticed smudges of her pink lipstick on his lips before her eyes were once again drawn to his.  
  
Darien's left hand still held Madeline's hands prisoner, like his eyes did her eyes. Slowly, he let his right hand trail down her cheek, to her neck and even further. He undid the top button of her blouse.   
  
"No... Please, don't..." Madeline's voice was soft and full of fear.  
  
Darien undid the second button.  
  
"Please... Mr. Fawkes..." she pleaded, but Darien ignored her.  
  
He reached the third button. Madeline couldn't suppress a shudder as he continued all the way down, exposing her. Tenderly, Darien touched the soft fabric of her bra. It closed in the front. Good, that made things much easier for him.  
  
Madeline stopped struggling, it was no use. She resigned herself to her fate, and tears welled in her eyes as she felt Darien softly kissing her neck, then slowly trailing kisses downward until he reached the center between her breasts. Her body trembled under his kisses.   
  
"God, no..." she whispered, two tears making their way down her cheeks.  
  
Slowly, his hand made its way to that same center, and, equally slowly, it started undoing her bra. Madeline closed her eyes, trying to escape what he was doing to her, but she couldn't -- she could still feel it. She could feel him touching the tender softness of her exposed flesh with his hand and with his mouth. His touch was warm, but still she shivered.  
  
  
---  
Hobbes clamped his hands around Claire's neck, squeezing harder and harder. Why wasn't she angry? Why was she being so passive and cooperative? He didn't understand. And it made him mad.  
  
"Bobby! Please, no!"  
  
Her voice was starting to sound strangled, Claire noticed. Bobby was hurting her now, and she was becoming scared. Maybe she underestimated the power of Bobby's madness. After all, she had never dealt with it before. She looked into Bobby's eyes intently, trying to see what was going on in his mind, trying to get her message through to him. He didn't seem to see or hear her, however. But he was still choking her. Claire started to lose hope.  
  
Suddenly there was a chorus of clicks and buzzes resounding in the room as all the lights and machines came back to life. Claire blinked against the harsh light, as she realized what it meant. The power had come back on. Bobby's hands were still around her neck, however. He didn't seem to notice anything.  
  
"Bobby..." she started weakly, the power draining from her voice. "Bobby, stop... please. Look, the power is back... Now we can get to Darien..."  
  
At the mention of Darien's name, the gears in Bobby's head clicked into place again and he came back to life, looking Claire in the eyes, then quickly taking his hands from her throat as he realized what he was doing. Fawkes... he had to get to Fawkes! Unable to form any thoughts beyond that, he ran out the door and left Claire little time to recover before she had to get the counteragent and follow him.  
  
  
---  
When Madeline heard the buzz of the power coming back on, she regained some hope. Someone would be here any minute now. Darien, on the other hand, was frustrated. Now he wouldn't get to finish! Unable to contain his anger he slapped Madeline in the face. It was her fault that the whole thing took so long! Madeline was startled by the sudden mood change and started to panic. She started to struggle again, trying to get away from Darien, the maniac. That angered him even more and he clamped his hand around her neck. Tightly. Choking. Keeping his eyes firmly on hers, looking more dangerous than ever.  
  
He had her imprisoned three ways now. With his left hand, holding her arms. With his right hand, holding her breath. With his eyes, holding her soul.  
  
Right on time, for Madeline that is, Hobbes burst through the door with Claire in his wake. One look at the pair inside, Madeline with her clothes in disarray, Darien in the midst of choking her, and he knew exactly what was going on. Madeline was relieved, finally this was going to end!   
  
"Hold it right there, Fawkes!" yelled Hobbes.   
  
Darien simply ignored him. Hobbes sprinted over to pull Darien off the girl, and he partially succeeded. Darien released Madeline from his chokehold to knock Hobbes back. Madeline saw her opportunity and struggled again, but Darien refocused his attention on her to stop her from breaking free. And that was his downfall.  
  
Before he knew it, Claire had the needle in his neck and was depressing the plunger. Darien felt the cold rush of the counteragent come over him, as much a relief for him as it was for Madeline. Darien sagged against her and took her with him to the ground. She held him in her arms again, only barely realizing it was over.  
  
They were sitting on the floor now, Darien's head resting against her chest as he started to come to again. Hobbes stood over them, the concern in his eyes turning to a mild surprise as he noticed the scratch marks on Darien's face. He smiled slightly at Madeline, she was stronger than she appeared. She did good, that girl. She would survive this yet.  
  
Claire crouched down next to Madeline and looked at the tattered girl.  
  
"Madeline... I'm so sorry about all this, this was never meant to happen..." she trailed off.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Claire. It's not your fault the power went down," said Madeline softly. Her main concern was Darien right now. She cradled him in her arms, gently stroking his hair.  
  
"Yes, but, still..."  
  
"It's okay, Claire." Madeline smiled at her and Claire decided to leave it at that. For now.  
  
As Darien started to remember what had happened and as he realized what position he was in now, fear and guilt washed over him. Guilt over what happened, and fear for Madeline's reaction now. He sat up, unsure of what to do, what to expect.   
  
"Madeline... I'm... I'm sorry..." he began.  
  
He looked down at the ground, unable to meet her eyes and painfully aware of the state of her clothing. Madeline looked at him, his face radiated guilt and discomfort. She could see exactly what he was thinking without him having to say anything. He was such an open book. She reached over and put her hand under his chin, forcing him to look up at her.  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"No... No, it's not, I..." he trailed off.  
  
He could see the tears on her face, the remnants of her fear and desperation mixed with her relief now. He saws the bruise on her cheek and winced slightly, all too clearly he remembered putting it there. But most of all he saw her eyes. And what they told him.  
  
"It's okay... Darien."  
  
Everyone who had ever seen him go insane, for the first time, was too frightened too even look at him afterwards. Even Hobbes and Claire had been afraid and were still uncomfortable. But Madeline...  
  
She looked into his eyes and smiled.  
  
  
The End 


End file.
